The present invention relates to a compound recording apparatus and a compound recording and processing method which are suitable to be applied to a compound machine equipped with a facsimile function, a copying function and a printer function.
With recent development of image processing technology, a recording apparatus of an electro-photographic system, which forms a monochrome image on a recording sheet, and a recording apparatus of an ink jet system, which forms a color image on a recording sheet are available on the market. Further, there is used an image forming apparatus equipped with finishing functions for attaching a front cover (hereinafter, referred to as a cover) and a backbone on recording sheets after image forming, or inserting a partition sheet in recording sheets.
Incidentally, based on a requirement for usage from users, there is a demand for making copies in a form of a booklet from a compound document containing a monochrome document and a color document. For the requirement of this kind, TOKKAIHEI No. 10-814 discloses a compound recording apparatus equipped with a recording apparatus of an electro-photographic system and a recording apparatus of an ink jet system.
In this compound recording apparatus, a recording sheet on which a monochrome image was formed by a recording apparatus of an electro-photographic system and a record on which a color image was formed by a recording apparatus of an ink jet system are ejected respectively on separate sheet ejection trays. Therefore, a user can make a booklet from a compound document containing a monochrome document and a color document mixedly, by rearranging the recording sheets for monochrome images and the recording sheets for color images both ejected to separate sheet ejection trays in a prescribed order, and by binding the recorded objects on one end of them, after attaching a cover and a backbone in case of need.
However, in a conventional compound recording apparatus., when making a booklet from a compound document containing a monochrome document and a color document mixedly, the timing for the monochrome image recording sheet to be ejected from the recording apparatus of an electro-photographic system to the sheet ejection tray and the timing for the color image recording sheet to be ejected from the recording apparatus of an ink jet system to the sheet ejection tray are not synchronized. It is therefore necessary for the user to rearrange the monochrome image recording sheets and the color image recording sheets both ejected to their respective sheet ejection trays, in the prescribed order.
For example, when using a recording apparatus of an ink jet system and a recording apparatus of an electro-photographic system equipped with a finishing function in combination, the timing to eject a monochrome image recording sheet and the timing to eject a color image recording sheet are not synchronized. It is therefore necessary for a user to rearrange the color image recording sheets and the monochrome recording sheets remaining unfinished both ejected respectively to their own sheet ejection trays, in accordance with prescribed order. After that, the user needs to set the recorded objects again on the finishing apparatus. Therefore, it is complicated for the user to rearrange the recording sheets and to set the recording sheets on the finishing apparatus, which is a problem.
An object of the invention, therefore, is to provide a compound recording apparatus and a compound processing method wherein images are formed on separate recording sheets by a plurality of different image forming apparatuses, and then, the recording sheets are finished collectively.
Accordingly, to overcome the cited shortcomings, the abovementioned object of the present invention can be attained by an apparatus and a method described as follow.
(1) An apparatus for producing a printed product, comprising: a plurality of image forming devices to form images on a plurality of recording sheets based on a plurality of image data arbitrarily obtained, each of said image forming devises forms a separate image on a separate recording sheet in parallel with other image forming devices; and a sheet finisher to accept said plurality of recording sheets ejected from said plurality of image forming devices and apply a designated finish-processing to said plurality of recording sheets on which said images are already formed by said plurality of image forming devices.
(2) A method for producing a printed product, comprising steps of: forming a separate image on each of a plurality of recording sheets in parallel, based on a plurality of image data arbitrarily obtained; collecting said plurality of recording sheets, on each of which said separate image is already formed, at one place; and applying a designated finish-processing to said plurality of recording sheets, which is collected at one place in said collecting step.
Further, to overcome the abovementioned problems, other embodiments of the compound recording apparatus and compound recording method of the present invention may include the following additional features.
A compound recording apparatus is equipped with two or more of image forming means, serving as image forming devices, each forming an image on each recording sheet in parallel based on given image information and with a finishing means, serving as a sheet finisher, which collects two or more recording sheets after image forming outputted from each image forming apparatus to one place and gives desired finish-processing to the recording sheets.
In the compound recording apparatus related to the invention, an image is formed on each recording sheet in parallel by each of two or more image forming means, based on given image information. In this case, two or more recording sheets after image forming processing are collected to one location by a finishing means, and for example, two or more recording sheets after image forming are collated at high speed in the order designated in advance, or, the recording sheets are bound on their one end after being collated, or, a cover and a back cover are attached on the collated recording sheets, or, two or more recording sheets after image forming are folded and collated into a folio form, or, a cover and a back cover are attached on the recording sheets in the folio form after one end thereof is bound.
Therefore, for example, when making a booklet from a compound document containing mixedly a monochrome document and a color document, it is possible to conduct bookbinding for recording sheets on which monochrome images are formed and recording sheets on which color images are formed, in the order prescribed in advance and at the high speed.
In the compound recording method related to the invention, an image is formed on each of recording sheets in parallel based on given image information, and then, two or more recording sheets on which images have been formed in parallel are collected to one location to be subjected to desired finish-processing.
In the compound recording method of the invention, a plurality of recording sheets on which images have been formed in parallel are collected to one location, and then, for example, plural sheets of recording sheets after image forming are collated at high speed in the order designated in advance, or, the recording sheets are bound after being collated, or, a cover and a back cover are attached on the collated recording sheets and are bound, or, plural recording sheets after image forming are fold and collated into a folio form, or, a cover and a back cover are attached on the collated recording sheets in the folio form and are bound. Therefore, for example, when making a booklet from a compound document containing mixedly a monochrome document and a color document, it is possible to conduct bookbinding for recording sheets on which monochrome images are formed and recording sheets on which color images are formed, in the order prescribed in advance and at the high speed.